Dredge.



No. 779,782. PATENTED JAN.10, 1905. J. HENDERSON a. E. G. PEAKE.

DREDGE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 5, 1904.

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No. 779,782. K i PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905. J. HENDERSON & H. G. PEAKE.

DREDGE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 5, 1904.

WITNESSES: INVENTOHJ Jrrzesjenc'lelvon/ M1/GAA Harry afm/@e No. 779,782.v

Patented January 10, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JAMES HENDERSON AND HARRY G. PEAKE, OF OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

DREDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,782, dated January 10, 1905.

Application filed October 5, 1904.. Serial No. 227,234.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES HENDERSON and HARRY G. PEAKE, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Oroville, in the county of Butte and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Dredge, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to dredges adapted for the raising of gold-bearing sands and similar operations. Its principal objects are to provide a durable structure the movable parts of which are in positive engagement.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dredge to which one embodiment of our invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional detail through the lower end of the frame on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3shows in elevation the lower supporting-wheel. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the upper wheel, parts being broken away and parts in section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is an edge elevation thereof. Eig. 6 is a detail in plan of one of the wearing-plates, and Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional detail through the lower end of the frame and particularly illustrating the shield.

10 designates a floating structure, upon which is mounted a frame 11, conveniently pivoted about a shaft 12, rotatable in suitable bearings and to which power may be applied. The lower end of the frame may be raised and lowered by some such apparatus as the tackle 13.

rl`he driving-shaft 12 has iiXed upon it a wheel or tumbler 14, preferably provided with end cheeks or flanges 15. Mounted upon spokes 16 of this wheel between the flanges are polygonal faces 17, which may have the form particularly illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings and having separably attached to them wearing-plates 18. A shaft 19 is journaled in the lower end of the frame and has iiXed upon it a wheel or tumbler, here shown as formed of separated members 20, each of which has a ange 21, lying in alinement with the iianges of the wheel 14. The spokes 22 of this lower wheel carry faces 23, corresponding to the faces 17, they having the form particularly illustrated in Fig. 3 and also being provided with removable wearingplates 24. Both the plates 18 and 24 have alternating projections 25 and depressions 26, forming transverse corrugations. Over the wheels operate a series of buckets 27 of a form best adapted to carry out the operations to which they are to be applied, said buckets being pivotallyconnected at 28 and each having upon its inner face a contact-plate 29 of the form shown in Fig. 6. These contactplates 29 have transverse eorrugations for cooperation with those upon the wearing-plates of the Wheels. Between the wheels arranged along' the upper edge of the frame are a suitable number of supporting-rolls 30, which are toothed or corrugated to engage the projections and depressions upon the contactplates of the buckets.

At the lower end of the frame adjacent to the wheel 20 is preferably mounted a shield 31 of inverted-V shape, which extends from a point adjacent to said wheel upward for a considerable distance along the frame. This prevents the material dropping from the upper run of buckets from being caught upon the lower end of the frame and carried into the wheel, where it would tend to produce undue wear.

As apparatus of this class is usually operated there is much relative movement or slipping between the buckets and the supportingwheels, which causes the coaeting surfaces to wear quickly and shortens the life of the parts. Itl will be obvious that the engagement between the corrugated faces which we provide will compel the elements to move together, greatly reducing the wear, and what occurs is received by readily removable plates, which may be replaced at comparatively slight expensev whenever it becomes necessary. The toothed engagement between the buckets and rolls compels the latter to move with the former' at the same rate and avoids the danger of the rolls becoming stuck,

and thus becoming stationary and wearing the buckets and becoming themselves wor into flattened sections.

IOO

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent# l. In a dredge, the combination with a wheel 5 provided with a plurality of separable plates arranged about its periphery, of a bucket having a removable contact-plate cooperating with the wheel.

2. In a dredge, the combination with upper IO and lower wheels, of a series ot' buckets movable over the wheels and having alternate projections and depressions, and a supporting-roll situated between the wheels and having` coperating projections and depressions. In testimony whereoic we have signed our naines to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES HENDERSON. HARRY G. PEAKE. Vitnesses:

GEORGE W. ELLIoTT,. FERDINAND V. MOULIN. 

